What's the usual tip to give at restaurants in the US?

[GaryE30]

I do $5 or 25%, whichever is greater.

[uuc328]

$26 bill at Hoots, left $40

[AndrewBird]

But seriously, 10-15%, more if they really earned it. Generally I'll add 10% then round the total up to an even number.

[slammin.e28]

I try for 20%. I have walked out of a PF Changs after slapping an unknown quantity, equal too or less than the bill. Guy was a fucking asshole. Drinks weren't getting refilled. Asked for the check 5 times, with about 20 minutes between having to catch the guy to ask him again. Inufaye was there. He did the same.

That said, I'll generally try to tip in cash so they have the option of reporting it on taxes. Tips in credit/debit automatically get reported. Fuck the IRS.

[Mlarsen]

Our brunch tab yesterday was $135, we tipped $45. We are remembered and get fantastic service at the places we frequent.

A typical brunch/dinner tab for the two of is $100 with a $30 tip.

Bunch of cheap waffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffless ITT

This! You go to a restaurant or bar that you frequent and the service is good you make sure your server is taken care of. Chances are they will remember you and you'll probably continue to get above and beyond service when your there.
Bars in particular are where tipping goes a long way. A few bars around town I'm fairly regular at and know the bartender I tip them fat and you know what I get hooked up. There's be instances at certain establishments where I knew my bar tab was going to easily 100 bucks and I get my tab and it 30 bucks and ya know what? they're going to get a nice big tip. What goes around comes around.

[myinfernalbmw]

Dude/ugly: 15%
Hot and marginally decent to good service: 20%+

Pffft hot dudes deserve 30% allday

[TwoJ's]

Dude/ugly: 15%
Hot and marginally decent to good service: 20%+

[BobombETA]

I tip 20% including the tax.

[Thizzelle]

Congratulations on making the most ignorant post in the thread.

how? I think what I posted was pretty legit.

[Julien]

tldr

[quickervicar]

I am probably the most courteous and polite customer you will get as a server. I am friendly. I have patience. I know the difference between a kitchen screw up and a server's incompetence. I have some very close friends that have worked their way up into very good service positions in very good restaurants. Therefore, I feel that if my service was fair, I will tip 15%. If it was good, 20%. Exceptionally great experience will warrant 25-30+%. Exceptionally poor service will get 10%.

My response to those that call me a cheapskate idiot when staring at the 10% is this: "Your position is paid on a performance-based wage scale. If you cared about the job you did, you would provide better service. If you provide better service you will earn the better tip. If you are not capable of providing better service, you should find another job outside the service industry."

[SmokeE30]

I tip well because I worked as a server before, it's not a glamorous job, I probably had it the worst serving in a retirement home full of picky old people that had nothing to look forward to all day then what they would have for dinner. And of course being people that were paying to live there and mostly senial there was NO TIPING. So I got paid minimum wage to deal with the pickiest customers ever that couldn't even remember what they ordered most of the time. Because of that one job I feel obligated to tip at least 20% and usually more as long as I had no qualms with my service. People that tip well and are frequent customers get treated better I feel. Granted it doesn't have to happen all the time my local watering hole sees me often enough and knows I take care of them that they hook me up on my tabs and if I'm short on cash I just catch up with them next time. Take care of people and they will take care of you

[z31maniac]

Our brunch tab yesterday was $135, we tipped $45. We are remembered and get fantastic service at the places we frequent.

A typical brunch/dinner tab for the two of is $100 with a $30 tip.

Bunch of cheap waffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffless ITT

[agent]

don't understand getting a job as a server if your so dependent on tips. Find a new job that pays more and get some skillzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
So hilarious reading through the posts

Congratulations on making the most ignorant post in the thread.

[FLYNAVY]

I guess this doesn't really apply to restaurants/bars that you never plan on going back to, but I've found that being a friendly and understanding customer who tips well (as in 20-25%) goes a long way towards getting great service and maybe some extra hook ups at the places that we frequent. It is just common sense IMHO.

We all know folks who are stingy with their tabs, or just disagree with a tip on principle. I don't specifically have a problem with that, but I do have a problem with folks who get real butt hurt with the wait staff when the problem itself is something completely out of their control....ie super busy night with not enough servers, slow/incompetent kitchen, etc. I have seen dumb and annoying wait staff plenty, but I would say that more often than not, the cause of your poor service is not the waiter/waitress.......so it frustrates me when people penalize them for someone else's mistakes. And yes, I know that the tips don't purely go into the server's pocket at some places, and yes, undertipping could potentially strike at the offender in those scenarios though probably in a way that is not noticed.

/rant
ps- have never worked service in my life (aside from pumping gas into airplanes in college, which was a solitary kind of "service"), so I have no agenda or axe to grind here.